While Lyoto
Machida may have accepted the 18-month suspension he received
from the United States Anti-Doping Agency, that doesn’t mean he
agrees with the punishment.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion released a statement via
Facebook on Friday expressing disappointment with the length of the
suspension he received after testing positive for the banned
substance 7‐keto-dehydroepiandrosterone (7‐keto‐DHEA) in an
out-of-competition sample collected on April 8. Machida declared
the use of the substance on his sample collection paperwork, which
he hoped would have resulted in some leniency.

“I received a suspension from USADA with my head held up high, even
though I don't agree with it,” Machida wrote. “I reiterate that I
never had any problem in all my career and always collaborated with
USADA. I hoped that the fact that I spontaneously declared which
substance I ingested would be taken into consideration. I have
always been an honest and transparent person, something that I
learned since a young age from my father Yoshizo.”

“The Dragon” also took issue with the clarity of USADA’s banned
list while claiming that 7-Keto-DHEA has no performance-enhancing
qualities. 7-Keto-DHEA is listed as an “anabolic agent” according
to WADA code but is more commonly associated with boosting
metabolism and weight loss.

“The supplement I took, 7-Keto, can be sold anywhere, which
[reinforces] the fact that it’s not used for performance
enhancement. As I said before, I took it to lower stress levels, as
I was coming off two losses and had not fought in some time. By no
means did I imagine that the substance could be banned by USADA.
The information relayed to the athletes were insufficient,” he
wrote. “The full list of all prohibited supplements, in an easier
way to read, I only received via text message, this week, on the
day after my suspension. The previous formats were not clear. To
teach and educate should also be the duties of an institution that
is committed to the advancement of a clean sport and not only for
punishing.

“Unfortunately USADA did not see my honesty, which was always my
priority. I believe that if I had been tried by the athletic
commission I would have been heard and would have had a different
outcome.”

Machida’s suspension is retroactive to April 8, which means he will
be able to return to the UFC in October 2017. He was supposed to
face Dan
Henderson at UFC on Fox 19, but the positive test resulted in
the cancellation of that bout.

The 38-year-old Brazilian has lost three of his last four fights.
He last competed at UFC Fight Night in June 2015, losing to
Yoel
Romero via third-round TKO. He moved from light heavyweight to
middleweight late in 2013.

For now, Machida plans to focus on the gym he recently opened in
California, but he also plans to continue training so he can be
ready to return to the UFC when his suspension concludes.

“So, I keep on training, because training is my life and I will not
interrupt my training at any time,” Machida wrote. “I thank my fans
for the support and reiterate my desire to return to the
Octagon.”